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CASABLANCA : AN EXCEPTIONAL GEOLOGICAL, PALAEONTOLOGICAL AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL HERITAGE, A KEY-SEQUENCE FOR THE FIRST HUMAN SETTLEMENTS IN NORTH-WEST AFRICA
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The long sequence at Casablanca covers the last 5.5 Ma. The oldest lithic assemblages are found in Late Lower Pleistocene deposits, circa 1 Ma, in unit L of Thomas Quarry 1, and consist of Acheulian artefacts made from quartzite and flint. The first human remains discovered in this area were found in younger Middle Pleistocene deposits and cover an important period of human evolution between Homo erectus and modern Homo. They are associated with Acheulian artefacts and rich faunas in caves (Littorines Cave at Sidi Abderrahmane, caves at Thomas Quarries 1 and 3). The variability of Acheulian assemblages is well documented following recent excavations in various sites around the well known locality of Sidi Abderrahmane (Bears Cave, Cap Chatelier, Unit L and Hominid Cave at Thomas Quarry 1, Rhino Cave at Oulad Hamida Quarry 1, Sidi Abderrahmane Extension and Sidi Al Khadir open-air sites). The Casablanca sequence offers useful data for comparison with those from other African areas where hominids appeared and developed and should be considered in the debate on the earliest occupation of Europe. A joint Morocco-France research program, began in 1978 in Casablanca area, well known for its prehistoric heritage and its well-preserved Quaternary sequences. This has allowed the stratigraphic reappraisal in particular of the classic sites, among which, the Thomas Quarry sites had earlier produced several hominid remains (Geraads, 1980, Geraads et al., 1980 : Debénath et al., 1982). In Thomas Quarry 1, archaeological elements dating to the Lower Acheulean have been discovered since 1986. Several excavations have also been carried out at different Middle Pleistocene sites : Rhinos Cave at Oulad Hamida 1 Quarry, Bear Cave and Cap Chatelier at Sidi Abderrahmane, and the Sidi Abderrahmane Extension (Raynal et al., 1995) Moreover, new and important palaeontological sites have been discovered in the older part of the sequence, dated between 2.4 and 5.5 Ma. They provide a considerable amount of new informations on biological environments for these key periods.
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